What's the worst part about cooking? Dishes, grocery shopping, not knowing what to cook -- for me, it all boils down to one word: time! I tend to cook on the weekends and then during the week, it's a combination of take-out and leftovers from whatever I made over the weekend. By the time I go to work, go to cross-fit, and then get home, I just don't have time to go to the grocery store and cook something and then do dishes. If I did, I would then go straight to bed and everyone needs downtime! At least, I definitely do. 

My brother and brother-in-law have both been subscribing to food delivery services that provide fresh, healthy ingredients (just the right amount) with a recipe and send it straight to your house each week. I thought to myself (after hearing rave reviews from each of them), oh, yes, this is perfect for a single guy who likes to cook and is health-conscious. They have that market nailed perfectly. But, of course, there's 2 of us and I do cook and I do go to the grocery store and I have a lot of extra ingredients lying around my house already so it's not really something that makes sense for me or other couples and families.

Luckily, my husband didn't seem to agree with me (not that we'd ever specifically talked about it) and just randomly signed us up for Blue Apron last week. He proceeded to inform me that we were getting a delivery and wasn't that so exciting?! To be honest, I was excited because I'm always down to try something new. BUT, I still had in my head -- yeah, it'll be good for a week to try and then it'll be back to business as usual.

When the food arrived, I looked at the recipes and thought, hmm -- could be interesting. What I found as I cooked each meal was that the ingredients were fresh, unprocessed, simple, and the food was DELICIOUS! I learned some new easy techniques that add a TON of flavor to the dishes. AND, the best part, we ate healthy, home-cooked, fresh meals 3 of the 5 nights last week! I am totally sold. We tried meals that I would have never come up with or cooked and not having to buy groceries saves a ton of time! So, this week I am sharing one of the recipes that is a simple twist on the classic homemade mashed potatoes but had the best flavor of any mashed potatoes I've ever cooked. 

Mashed Potatoes (original by: Blue Apron & adapted by: Blissfully Cooking)
Makes: 2 servings
3 medium-sized potatoes (3/4 lb.)
3 green onions,  chopped (1/2 of green part)
5 green Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped 
1/4 c. creme fraiche (or sour cream) or a combination of whole milk/cream cheese
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon, zest and juice

Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Medium dice potatoes and add to boiling water. Boil for 9-11 minutes or just until slightly soft when touched with fork. Drain water. Mash to desired consistency. Add onions, olives, cream, lemon, and salt & pepper. Stir to combine.